Power-driven hand truck and transmission therefor



April 26, 1949.

J. L. WATERS POWER DRIVEN HAND TRUCK AND Filed March 28, 1947 TRANSMISSION THEREFOR 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 73 IN VEN TOR.

Jams! L. Wins-Rs,

April 26, 1949. J. L. WATERS POWER DRIVEN HAND TRUCK AND TRANSMISSION THEREFOR Filed March 28, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 rlbmvLJ/Imrms.

J. L. WATERS POWER DRIVEN HAND TRUCK AND TRANSMISSION THEREFOR April 26, 1949.

a Shets-Sheet 3 Filed March 28, 1947 I N V EN TOR. dwwL. Irzwas.

TTOF/VEY Patented Apr. 26, 1949 POWER-DRIVEN HAND TRUCK AND TRANSMISSION THEREFOR John L. Waters, Salem, reg.,

assignor to Xpediter Corporation, Seattle, Wash, a corporationof Washington Application March 28, 1947, Serial No. 737,876

The present invention relates to industrial trucks such as are particularly adapted for transporting baggage, boxes, barrels, etc., for short distances and more particularly to a new and improved form of chassis and driving means for such a truck.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved chassis for an industrial truck which will be found particularly suited for use in a load carrying truck such as is disclosed in my prior patent, No. 2,377,389, issued June 5, i945, and entitled, Motorized hand truck.

Another object of the invention is to provide a power driven truck of the above character having four wheels and in which a novel articulated connection is provided between the front and rear ends of the truck to provide for an easy steering and uniform contact between the wheels and the ground when travelling over uneven terrain.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form of power transmission means for establishing a forward and reverse driving connection between a prime mover and differentially connected driving wheels at the rear end of the chassis of the truck.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and effective control for connecting a prime mover to the driving wheels of the truck and in whichan operation of the control may be effected by the weight of an operator while riding upon the truck and/or manually by the operator when standing alongside of the truck.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be evident to those skilled in the art and also pointed out hereinafter in connection with the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein there is shown by way of illustration and not of limitation a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view showing in its entirety in truck constructed in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the rear end of the truck illustrated in Fi ure 1 of the drawings,

Figure 3 is a fragmentary view partially in section showing a detail ofthe truck and a load carrying frame of the type'disclosed in my aforesaid patent mounted thereupon,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detail partially in section taken along line IV-IV of Figure 3, looking in direction of arrows,

5 Claims. (Cl. 180-54) Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of the parts shown in Figure 3,

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in section showing a further detail of the part illustrated in Figure 5 of the drawings,

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view looking forward and taken along the center line of the rear axle of the truck as shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings,

Figure 8 is a fragmentary side view of the power transmitting connection, shown in Figures 1 and 2, with its cover removed to reveal the interior details,

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary back view of a portion of the transmission shown in Figure 8 0f the drawings,

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view partially in section showing details of an improved braking device contemplated by the invention,

Figure 11 is a fragmentary view of the braking device taken along line XI-XI and looking in direction of arrows in Figure 10 of the drawings,

and

Figure 12 is a fragmentary view taken along line XIIXII of Figure 10 looking in direction of arrows.

As shown in Figure l of the drawings the present truck, as distinguished from the truck of my prior patent, is of the four wheel type and this therefore presents the problem of providing a truck chassis which will accommodate the four wheels thereof to an uneven ground surface. To this end the chassis is composed of two parts, one in the form of a trailing portion which is a cast frame-like structure ID that carries an internal combustion engine or prime mover power plant H. This frame-like structure l0 also provides a support for a rear axle housing which will accommodate a differential drive and extending shafts upon which the rear wheels of the chassis are mounted. The other portion of the chassis which forms a front or steerable portion of the truck consists of a rigid axle structure l2 upon which the front wheels are journaled to rotate independently of each other. The frame-like structure 10 or trailing portion of the chassis is connected in a novel manner to the front axle or steerable portion I! by means of a forwardly extending tongue-like member ll which is to be described in detail hereinafter. In connection with this illustration it should be stated that the prime mover l I and the power transmitting mechanism associatedtherewith is of the type shown in my issued patent, No. 2,430,625, dated November 11, 1947, and entitled, "Reversing drive mechanism.

In this particular arrangement the prime mover II is provided with a power delivery cylinder which is mounted outwardly from its right side and arranged in cooperating relation therewith, the power transmitting mechanism includes two spaced and parallel extending power take-off cylinders l6 and I1, here shown by dotted lines, as enclosed within a stationary housing l8 which, as will hereinafter appear, is mounted to rock about the axis of the shafts upon which the rear wheels are mounted. As a means for producing a rocking of the supporting housing 9 to thus control the transmission of power from the prime mover H to the rear wheels of the truck, the frame-like structure I0 is also shown as provided with a rockable platform 20 upon which an operator may ride when the truck is in motion. This rockable platform 28 is shown'in the drawings as journalled upon the frame-like structure I 0 by means of a transversely extending stub shaft 20 is connected to an arm 2| carried by the rockable supporting housing I9 by means of a link 22. In this view the front end or steerable portion of the truck is also shown as having a load supporting frame 23 of the type described and claimed in my above identified prior patent. While it is considered that the novel features of my present invention will be found to work particularly well with the load supporting frame 23 of this type, it is to be understood that the invention will be porting band of a fuel tank 23 which is located at the rear of the prime mover II. This location of the throttle controlling means 28 places it in easy reach of the operator while grasping the rearwardly extending portion of the load supporting frame 23. Immediately forward of the fuel tank 29, the frame 23 carries a controlling lever by which latch bars 3|, shown in Figure 1, may be actuated to release same from the holding bracket 24,-as explained in my above identified prior patent. In addition to the above features, this figure of the drawing also shows the chassis as having a stationary platform 32 which in cooperation with the rockable foot platform 20 provides a safe and convenient support for an operator who when standing on these platforms 20 and 32 may ride along with the truck. At the same time the operator can steer the truck by swinging the rearwardly extending portion 25 of the load supporting frame 23 to the right or left as desired.

As is more clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, the load supporting frame 23 is of the found equally useful in connection with the other types of load carrying means. A feature of the load carrying frame 23 here shown is that it may be tilted forwardly about the axis of the front wheels to pick up a load and then reclined rearwardly where it will be held by a. holding bracket 24 which is carried by. the front axle forming structure |2 of the truck. With the truck constructed in this manner, it will be seen that an operatorwhile riding upon the trailing portion of the truck and with one foot upon the platform 20, may by shifting his weight cause the prime mover I I to become connected to and disconnected from the transmission mechanism enclosed in the supporting housing l9. At the same time the operator may by grasping a rearwardly extending portion 25 of the load supporting frame 23 easily effect a steering of the truck by swinging the load supporting frame to the right or left. At the same time the operator will be within easy reaching distance of a manual transmission control lever 26, a brake lever 21, and a gas throttle controlling means 28, all of which are conveniently located upon the frame-like structure H) of the chassis. At this point it should also be noted that the manual transmissioncontrol lever 26 and the brake. control lever 21 are so located upon the frame l0 that they may also be reached by an operator standing at the right hand side of the truck where the operator might on occasions be required to be as in tilting a packing case or other article while the truck with its load supporting frame 23 tilted forwardly is moved into position for a picking up of the load. From this position the operator can also more easily handle the tilting of the load supporting frame 23 back into its reclining position and into latching engagement with the holding bracket 24, after which he can again assume his position upon the chassis where control of the truck will again be under foot control by a rockingof the platform 20 as above suggested.

Upon referring to Figure 2 of the drawings, it will be noted that the gas throttle controlling means 28 is secured at its upper end to the suptype disclosed in my prior patent. This load supporting frame 23,'.as here shown, is provided with a pair of downwardly extending side plates 33 that have an elongated slot 34 in which the ends of the axle |2 are adapted to move as when balancing the load supporting frame 23 thereupon. In order to control the positioning of the axle l2 along the slot '34 and thus determine its fulcrum point, when balancing a load thereupon, the side plates 33 of the load supporting frame 23 also carry notched pivotally mounted sectors 35 which have a plurality of spaced notches 36 that are adapted to engage with the axle l2 and thus position the axle l2 at any desired point along the length of the slots 34 when the load carrying frame 23 isin its rearwardly reclining position. Then when the load supporting frame 23 is tilted rearwardly into its reclining and load supporting position the latch bars 3| carried thereby will be brought into interlocking relation with a shouldered latching abutment 31 formed at the outer end of the holding bracket 24.

As is more clearly shown in Figure 4 of the drawings, the holding bracket 24 is of wishbone shape and at its ends, designated by the numeral 38, it is clamped rigidly upon the axle I2. At this point it should be noted that the axle I2 is deliberately made of square cross-section throughout the major portion of its length and is only of round cross-section at its ends. As is more clearly shown in Figure 3, the ends 38 of the holding bracket 24 are provided with a notched facing 39 that is clamped to the axle l2 by means of notched clamping plates 40 and bolts 4|. Be-

tween the ends 38 of the holding bracket 24 and centrally between the front wheels l3 the axle I2 is also provided with axially aligned and oppositely disposed vertically extending spindles 42 to which the tongue-like member l4 of the trailing portion of the chassis is steerably connected. This connection between the axle l2 and steerable portion of the chassis and the frame l8 and trailing portion of the chassis may be better described in connection with Figures 5 and 6 of the drawing where, in the former figure it will be seen that the forwardly extending tongue-like member 4 is formed of an outer cylindrical member 43 and an inner cylindrical sleeve 44 which are disposed in telescoping relation therein. The inner cylindrical sleeve 44 is welded at its forward end to a flanged coupling member 45 to which a forwardly extending bifurcated bear- BJOUJIO ing bracket 48 is bolted by means of bolts 41. This bifurcated bearing bracket 46 has an upper arm 40 which carries a bearing 49 in which the upwardly extending spindle of the axle I2 is journaled and at its lower side it has a similar'arm SI which carries a bearing 5! .within which the downwardly extending spindle 42 of the axle i2 is Journaled. In this particular figure of the drawing it will also be noted that the outer cylindrical sleeve 43 of the trailing portion of the chassis and the inner cylindrical sleeve 44 of the steerable portion of the chassis are held in spaced relation at their forward ends by means of a flanged cylindrical bearing 52 which is disposed therebetween at this point. Now with particular which in conjunction with the cylindrical bearing 62 at the other end of the tongue-like member l4 provide for a free rotation of the outer and inner cylindrical sleeves 43 and 44 with respect to each other. Welded within the rear end of the inner cylindrical sleeve 44 there is a closure plate or plug it into which a retaining bolt 51 is threaded and secured to this plate or plug 56 by the bolt 51 there is a retaining disc 58 which extends outwardly and into overlapping relation with the flanged end of the bearing 55 and the end of the outer cylindrical sleeve 43. This provides a means for securing the cylindrical sleeves 43 and 44 of the tongue-like member l4 againstaxial displacement with respect to each other and in this way there is formed a rigid beam-like connection between the axle I! or steerable portipn and the trailing portion of the chassis. This will provide for a steering of the truck and at the same time permit a lateral rocking of the front axle I! with respect to the frame I0 and thus maintain a firm contact between the four wheels of the chassis and any ground surface irrespective of its irregularities.

Reference is now made to Figure 7 of the drawings, wherein the rear axle mounting and the driving aspects of my improved truck are shown in section. As here illustrated. the frame-like structure I has a rearwardly extending vertical plate-like extension 60 which is bored transversely to receive a hub forming cylinder 6i which is rear wheel at this side of the chassis is also sup.-

'ported from this extension 85'. The other side of the supporting housing l8, here designated by the numeral 69, likewisecarries an axle supporting extension II which is flanged and secured thereto by means of bolts". At its outer end this axle supporting extension II has a bearing 12 in which is journaled the outer end of a stub axle 13 which carries the other of the rear wheels.

ry the conventional beveled gears which mesh with planetating beveled gears 14 that are carried by a ring gear or sprocket I5 which, as will hereinafter appear, is adapted to be driven in a forward and reverse direction by a single drive chain which connects with each of the power take-oil.

cylinders It and II. This provides a difierential form of drive between the two rear wheels of the chassis and when the ring sprocket I5 is rotated it will be seen that the chassis will be driven in forward or reverse direction depending upon which of thepower take-off cylinders It or H means of the hub forming cylinder 6|.

are brought into contact with the power delivery cylinder I! of the prime mover II. In order to provide for this assembly and prevent lateral displacement of the rear axle structure above described with respect to the frame-like structure ll there is a keying pin I6 which engages with an annular slot I'I formed in cylindrical portion 63 of the housing It. From the preceding description it will at once be seen that the entire rear wheel and axle assembly of my improved truck will be held in firm attachment upon the frame ill by In this connection, however, it is important to note that the hub forming cylinder ii is capable of eccentric adjustment with respect to the plate-like extension of the frame-likestructure I0 which supports the internal combustion engine or prime mover II with its power delivery cylinder ii. The reason for this eccentric adjustability between the hub forming cylinder I and the rear axle assembly is to permit of a proper working clearance between the power delivery cylinder ii of the l8 and H which are carried by the enclosin housing I. To provide for this adiustment it will benoted that the hub forming cylinder 6| has an eccentrically disposed portion with a flange II which extends into the vertical platelike extension 60 of the frame ll where the clamping ring 62 in cooperation with the flange I? will serve to hold the hub forming member GI and consequently the entire rear axle assembly including the two power take-off cylinders l8 and I! in any desired position of adjustment with respect to the power delivery cylinder l5. In this way the clearances between the power delivery cylinder l5 and the power take-off cylinders It and I! may be adjusted to any desired dimension. The amount of rocking movement which will be required of the rear axle assembly and the housing I! in order to bring the power take off cylinders l1 and it into and out of driving engagement with the power delivery cylinder l5 may also be controlled by this adjustment.

As is more clearlyshown in Figure 8 of the drawings, the ring gear or chain sprocket I5 is connected to the power take-off cylinders l6 and I1, here indicated by dot and dash lines, by means of a single continuous sprocket chain 18 that passes over an idling sprocket 19 mounted within the upper part of the housing is and over smaller sprockets 80 and 8! that are keyed upon shafts B2 and 03 which are driven respectively by the power take-oil cylinders l6 and I1. With this arrangement and a disposition'ofthe chain II, as here illustrated, it will be seen that when the power take-oi! cylinder l5 turning in a clockwise direction, as indicated by arrow, and the housing I! is rocked forwardly and downwardly to bring the power take-oil cylinder l6 into engagement therewith the driving chain sprocket II will be turned in a clockwise direction and At their inner ends the stub axles 61 and I3 carthus cause the truck to be driven in a forward .7 direction, whereas if the housing is is rocked upwardly and rearwardly to bring the power take-off cylinder ll into engagement with the power delivery cylinder the driving chain sprocket 15 will be turned in counter-clockwise direction and thus cause the truck to be driven in a backward direction. It will also be noted from thisfigure of the drawing, because of the connecting link 22 which is disposed eccentrically between the rockable platform 20 and the arm 2! carried by the housing i9, that this rocking of the housing l9 may be accomplished by a rocking of the platform 28' under the weight of an operator standing thereupon. As an alternative, it willalso be seen that, because of its pivotal mounting upon the frame'structure l and a forked connection 84, the housing lamay be rocked in asimilar manner by an operation of the lever 26.

As is more clearly shown in Figure 9 of the drawings in addition to the rearwardly extending portion 88 which carries the hub forming cylinder 8!, the frame-like structure IO also has a rearwardly projecting portion 85 upon which the stationary platform 82, indicated by dot and dash lines,-and the rockable platform 2| carried by the stub shaft 28' are mounted. This extending portion 88 of the frame-like structure III also has a rearwardly extending boss 86 that projects rearwardly in spaced parallel relation with the rearwardly extending arm 2| where it is positioned between oppositely disposed yielding and adjustable abutment forming studs 81 and 88 which engage with the top and bottom sides thereof. In this particular arrangement the oppositely disposed abutments 81 and 88 are mounted upon a bracket 89 that is carried by the rearwardly extending arm 2!. These abutment forming studs 81 and 88 are biased into a housing centering relation against the boss 86 by means of compression springs 90 and 9! that are respectively disposed in cylindrical spring seats 92 and 83 which are formed as a part of the bracket 89. In this way it will be seen that by adjusting the compression of the springs 90 and Si it will be possible to center the rearwardly extending arm 2| and the supporting housing J8 in such a position that the power take-off cylinders l8 and II will be yieldingly held in a, neutral position and out of contact with, the power de- P livery cylinder ii of the prime mover ll. Then when the rockable platform 20 is rocked it will, because of the eccentric connection 94 at the lower end of the link 22, cause the housing I 9 to be rocked in either direction desired against the centering action of the compression springs 88 and ill.

From the above it will be seen that an operator may cause the truck to be driven in a forward or reverse direction by merely rocking the rockable platform 2| so as to bring one or the other of the power take-oil cylinders l6 and i1 into driving engagement with the power delivery cylinder l5. At the same time it will also be understood that the truck may be brought to stop when traveling in either direction'by rocking the supporting housing l9 in a direction which will bring the oppositely rotating power take off cylinder I8 or I! into frictional engagement with the power delivery cylinder l5, and while this form of control might suffice for operating the truck on level ground, the present invention also contemplates the provision of a novel form of braking means by which the speed of the truck may be retarded after disconnection from the the end of a horizontally extending stud 91 and as located in a position where it will simultaneously engage with the outer surfaces of the power take of! cylinders l6 and ii. The stud 81 is" mounted to slide freely within the upwardly extending flange 85 and it is biased to move the brake shoe 96 into braking relation with the power take oi! cylinders l8 and II by means of a compression spring 88 that is disposed between the upwardly extending flange 95 and an adjusting nut 98 carried by the stud 91. At its other end the stud 81 is split to accommodate a camlike huh I" which is formed upon the lower end of the brake lever 21 which is pivotally mounted upon transversely extending pin MI. The camlike hub I08 is so designed that when the brake lever 21 is in its vertical position it will engage with a notched cam plate I82 which is interposed between it and the upwardly extending flange 8S and thus compress the spring 98 and hold the brake shoe 86 in its retracted or neutral posl tion and out of braking contact with the power take of! cylinders l6 and I1. Contrariwise when the operating lever 21 is moved forward or to the rear the cam-like hub I00 thereof will be rocked out of notched engagement with the notch plate I82 and permit the spring 98 to move and hold the brake shoe 86 into braking engagement with the power take off cylinders l6 and I1.

While I have, for the sake of clearness and in order to disclose the invention so that the same canbe readily understood, described and illustrated specific devices and arrangements, I desire to have it understood that this invention is not limited to the specific means disclosed, but may be embodied in other ways that will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art. It is believed that this invention is new and all such changes as come within the scope of the appended claims are to be considered as part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a load transporting truck of the character described, the combination of a chassis having a rigid transversely extending axle with wheels journalled upon its ends 'and forming a forward steerable portion of the chassis, a trailing portion for said chassis having driving wheels and a platform therebetween upon which an operator may ride while operating the truck, a power plant mounted upon said trailing portion connected in driving relation with said driving wheels, a hollow tubular member rigidly attached to the trailing portion of said chassis extending toward said front axle, a second tubular member hingedly connected to said front axle for movement relative thereto in a horizontal plane and extending rearwardly into telescoping relation with said hollow tubular member, and means for securing said members in telescoping relation without interfering with relative rotation thereof, whereby said steerable portion may be turnedto efl'ect a steering of said chassis and also rock transversely with respect to said trailing portion to maintain the wheels in contact with a supporting surface.

2. In a power driven vehicle of the character described, the combination of a chassis having a rear axle with a differential and wheels driven thereby, a prime mover having a horizontally extending power delivery cylinder at one side thereof, a supporting housing journaled to rock in a vertical plane about the axis of said rear axle and having two spaced horizontally disposed power take-off cylinders extending from one side thereof and adapted to be selectively brought into power receiving relation with said power delivery cylinder, a yielding spring means for normally holding said supporting housing in a neutral position with its power take-off cylinders out of engaging relation with the power delivery cylinder of said prime mover, an operator supporting platform pivotally mounted upon said chassis and connected with said supporting housing, whereby said supporting housing may be rocked in either direction from its neutral position to bring one or the other of its power take-off cylinders into driving engagement with said power delivery cylinder, and a single chain and sprockets providing connection between the differential of said rear axle and each of said power take-off cylinders through which a forward or reversed driving connection may be established between said prime mover and the rear axle of said chassis.

3. In a power driven vehicle of thecharacter described, the combination of a chassis having a rigid axle with differentially driven wheels, a

prime mover mounted upon said chassis forward of said rear axle, a supporting housing journaled to rock in a vertical plane about the axis of said rear axle and having a power transmission means adapted to be brought into power transmitting relation with said prime mover by a rocking of said housing, a yielding spring; means for normally holding said supporting housing in a neutral position with respect to said prime mover, an operator supporting platform mounted to rock upon said chassis and connected to said supporting housing, whereby said supporting housing may be rocked from its neutral position by an operator standing thereupon to bring said transmission means into driving relation with said prime mover, and a manually operated means for rocking said supporting housing in a manner corresponding to that provided for by said operator supporting platform when the operator is not upon said platform.

4. In a power driven truck of the character described, the combination of a chassis having a forward load carrying steerable portion and a trailing power plant supporting portion, a prime mover power plant mounted upon the trailing portion of said chassis having an extending power delivery cylinder at one side thereof,'a power take-off mechanism pivotally mounted to rock about the rear axle of said chassis, said power take-off mechanism having two spaced friction rollers adapted to be moved into engageable. relation with the power delivery cylinder of said power plant as said power take-off mechanism is rocked, a driving connection between each of said friction rollers and the rear axle of said chassis, means for pivotally rocking said power take-off mechanism about the rear axle of said chassis to bring one or the other of its said friction rollers into power take-off engagement with the power delivery cylinder of said power plant, and means for adjusting the position of said rear axle with respect to said prime mover power plant to establish a proper clearance between said friction rollers and said power delivery cylinder. 9

5. In a power driven truck of the character described, the combination of a chassis having a forward load carrying steerable portion and a trailing power plant supporting portion, a prime mover power plant mounted upon the trailing portion of said chassis having an extending power delivery cylinder at one side thereof, a power take-oft mechanism journaled to rock about the axis of the rear axle of said chassis in a vertical plane transverse to the axis of said power delivery cylinder, a'pair of spaced friction rollers carried by said power take-off mechanism and engageable with the power delivery cylinder of said power plant, a driving connection between each of said friction rollers and the rear axle of said chassis, means for rocking said power take-ofi mechanism about the axis of the rear axle of said chassis to bring one or the other of said pair of friction rollers into engagement with the power delivery cylinder of said power plant, whereby said chassis may be driven in a forward or reverse direction by the operation of said means, and means for adjusting the position of said rear axle with respect to the trailing portion of said chassis, whereby the clearance between the friction rollers of said power take-off mechanism and said power delivery cylinder may beregulated as desired.

JOHN L. WATERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 895,368 Hargrove Aug. 4, 1908 2,069,245 Haines Feb. 2, 1937 2,377,389 Waters June 5, 1945 2,422,813 Walch June 24, 1947 2,430,625 Waters Nov. 11, 1947 

